The Bitter Dragon and His Sweet Princess
by dee430
Summary: Natsu has been acting strange since the X791 GMG. The King of Fiore has made an official request to Fairy Tail to take care of the disturbing events around the country. Sightings of dragons are reported around Magnolia. To top it all off, two new mages join Fairy Tail, and the dragon slayers smell something strange. How will the members of Fairy Tail cope with all these problems?
1. Bitterness

**A/N:** Spoilers until Chapter 325, I think? Also, some of the events that Natsu remembers here were written solely from my imagination. They are _**NOT**_ part of Mashima-shi's work. And if you don't know who actually owns Fairy Tail... Go find out, because it ain't me. You have been warned.

**DISCLAIMER: **Fairy Tail is not mine (it belongs to Hiro Mashima, okay? Okay.). Neither is the image I used for the cover (it's courtesy of Neilund over at deviantart. Clear? Fine.). I've made no money from this.

* * *

**Bitterness**

Natsu was drunk. Very, very drunk. But he didn't mind, since it made him forget, made him happy, if only for a few hours. He knew somewhere in the back of his barely coherent mind that he would regret drinking so much - he always did - but right now he didn't care, because all he wanted, all he needed was to forget.

Three years. Three years have passed since that day. And every year, on the same day, he would drink his piteous self to oblivion, hoping to forget but never quite succeeding.

He hated it. Hated the feeling that had never quite left him since that incident. It was there, lingering in the back of his mind every moment like some damn shadow he couldn't shake off. Sure, he still acted like the Natsu that everyone at Fairy Tail knew. But the shadows were always there, hovering, ready to pounce anytime he let down his guard.

All of his friends would describe him as strong, the fire that kept their guild alive, and most of all, dense. Sure he admits to denseness in some things, like with Freed's runes and Levy's books on languages and even little Wendy's healing herbs. But he wasn't dense when it came to other matters like serious feelings regarding girls. Mostly he just pretended to be because, well, it was just so _troublesome._ Feelings for friends and family and fighting were okay because everyone knew that those things were important and he would gladly burn anyone who said otherwise to a crisp. But when it came to feelings for a specific person, count him out. That was just too messy and cost more energy than it was worth.

At least, that had been his stand.

The day he'd met Lucy in Hargeon, something in him had shifted. At first he'd wondered what it was - he wasn't as dense as most people thought, but he could still be downright slow at times - but soon realized that he had felt something for the blonde right away, something different from what he felt for the others in Fairy Tail. It was even different from what he'd felt for Lissana, which as far as he knew was as close as he'd come to falling in love with someone (her disappearance had played a big part as to why he avoided anything resembling romance). So even if he'd been the one to bring her to Fairy Tail, he'd tried to ignore her. He'd purposefully call her the wrong name, ignore her, be rude, anything to avoid the trap he knew would spring of he let it.

And then an old, almost forgotten memory of Igneel in one of their lessons had resurfaced.

_Natsu, pay attention and remember these last few words. Never forget this one fact, even if you forget the rest of today's lesson: a dragon has only one life partner. Once our heart has been given, no matter what, we cannot give it to another. So be careful in who you give it to, because you won't get another chance. Understood?_

Natsu had nodded his head, serious for once. The usually loud, reckless, and not-a-little-arrogant dragon Igneel had spoken so seriously that little Natsu had sworn to never forget.

Back then he'd had only a little idea of what his father had been talking about. He'd only been a kid after all. But after meeting Lucy...

After that night he'd quit ignoring her. Instead he'd found reasons and excuses to always be with her, going as far as to trick her to be his teammate whereas before he'd avoided taking jobs with others like it was the plague. He'd trespass into her apartment - although he wouldn't call it exactly that, since she always left her window open - trail her at the guild, always find jobs for them to do. He'd even started agreeing to take the more dangerous jobs with Erza and Stripping Ice Princess just so he'd have backup protecting her if something went wrong.

And despite all that, he'd still failed.

That day, he hadn't been able to do anything. He'd been so focused on that bastard; he hadn't even noticed where Lucy had been standing. Usually he would be near her during situations like that, but the arrival of Future Rogue had shaken him up too much.

When the other dragon slayer had unleashed an attack, he'd been frozen like one of the sculptures that Gray hid in his freezing apartment (Natsu had found out both facts when he'd played a prank on the Ice Bastard). All he'd been able to do was stand there and watch as the blast of killing magic had headed towards Lucy.

And then the hooded figure - the future's Lucy - had suddenly jumped in front of her counterpart, taking the blow. Natsu hadn't felt relieved, though. If anything, he'd felt even more of a failure. He hadn't been able to save either of them.

After the first few seconds of stunned grief, he'd finally been able to move, but he hadn't known what to do. So he'd just stood there, watching Lucy die - and it didn't matter if she was from the future, Lucy was still Lucy no matter where or what or _when _she came from - even as the Lucy from their time watched. If he'd been asked, even now, he still wouldn't be able to describe what he'd felt then, what he could still feel _now_, even after two years. It was a mixture of indescribable grief and immeasurable rage. Rage at Lucy for daring to leave him. Rage at Rogue for killing the one that held his heart. Most of all, rage directed inward for not being strong enough, fast enough to save her.

He'd snapped out of his daze when he'd noticed Rogue moving in for another attack. He'd moved immediately then, determined to save Lucy, to protect her future, no matter the cost. Fairy Tail mages didn't kill, but at that moment he would have unhesitatingly murdered Rogue. It hadn't come to that, though. The opening of the Eclipse Gate and the arrival of the seven dragons had come upon them before they could finish their battle, and after that Natsu had been able to fight Future Rogue. However, the man had died at the hands of a rogue dragon trying to save his past self, saying that he wanted to be given a chance to become a different man than what he'd ended up as.

After that things had started going in their favor again. Igneel, Metallicana and Grandeeney had come along with other dragons to tell them how to save their future. It had required someone who had a connection to time and the different parallel worlds, someone like a Celestial Mage. Lucy had unhesitatingly offered herself to be absorbed into the Eclipse, but Natsu had vehemently protested. Yukino had then stepped forward, but before she could speak up, Ultear had arrived, flushed and breathless. She'd been able to hear everything via a surveillance lacrima, and had volunteered.

"You need someone who could use Time Magic, right? What better choice than a Time Mage?"

Meredy had cried then, but she hadn't tried to stop her surrogate mother. She knew what Ultear was trying to do; atone for their past sins. Further proof was when Ultear had asked that the rest of Crime Sorcier be absolved from their previous charges, and the king had quickly agreed.

And so Ultear had offered herself to the Eclipse. She'd done it with a smile for Jellal and her beloved surrogate daughter, and she was content.

As soon as she'd been fully one with the Eclipse, the three dragons had turned to _their _surrogate sons and daughter. A tense moment had passed before Grandeeney spoke.

"Now it is our turn to sacrifice ourselves. And you must be the ones to do it, dragon slayers," she'd said, looking first at Gajeel, then at Natsu and finally at the little girl she'd raised.

The crowd had gone deadly silent. The three dragon slayers had been oblivious to the looks their guild mates had given them, trying to find a way to put to lie what the great bird-like dragon had said.

No. It couldn't be true. They must have heard wrong. They hadn't just been asked to _kill _the only parents they've known.

But it had been clear that Grandeeney was serious. Igneel and Metallicana said nothing, merely staring at their respective sons. The two men - for both of them had lost their last bit of boyishness the minute they'd been asked, no _ordered _to kill their parents - had stared back, trying to look silently for what the youngest slayer asked with tears and sobbed words: it was a lie, right? Just a big joke?

Their only answer had been Metallicana's curt, cutting words: "You need to become stronger, and only bathing in dragon's blood could make you any stronger than you are now. Do you want to put that woman's sacrifice to waste?"

Of course not. But wasn't there another way? One that preferably did not include forfeiting someone else's future?

Igneel, who'd been silent up to that point, had finally spoken up. "There is no other option. You must choose now, or you will lose whatever ground you've managed to gain in battle."

After what seemed like an eternity, the dragon slayers had finally given up. They had no other choice. As much as they loved their dragons - even Gajeel, who'd given in and punched, kicked, shouted at and finally hugged the father he hadn't seen in years - the lives of their nakama and the rest of the world - especially their loved ones - counted heavily.

They'd all released their most powerful Secret Dragon Slayer Art at the same time, pouring in all their emotions. They'd watched helplessly as their parents' bodies were absorbed to the Eclipse, fading away as if they'd never been. Before the last part had vanished, Natsu had heard a voice in his head, saying something that had made him incredible angry and incredibly sad at the same time.

_This is why we stayed away. We wanted you to hate us, so that when this time came you wouldn't be hurt. But I guess even the Mighty Igneel commits mistakes. I'm sorry, son. Remember that I'm proud of you, and we'll always be watching all of you, just like the way you'll always watch over your mate and the family you'll have someday. Goodbye, Natsu_.

The other dragons had similar messages for their children. They'd all mourned that day, but even that didn't last long; the seven dragons had to be defeated, and after the fight the city and the people had tried to recover. Dead mages were buried. The city and friends and family members grieved. Damages had to be fixed, and in most cases wholly rebuilt. Every guild helped. Some independent mages had even come to lend a hand, and the other kingdoms, especially Bosco and Pergrande, had sent soldiers and masons and builders to help. Soon, Crocus showed no sign of ever having been attacked.

It wasn't so for the three dragon slayers though, and neither for the rest of Fairy Tail. For those first few months, none of them acted like themselves; they seldom went to the guild, and when they did it was only to get missions and report back. Eventually Wendy recovered enough to stay at the guild for a few days before going off to see someone at Crocus, or to another mission, usually accompanied by Max or Warren and always by Charle. Gajeel took a few months longer before giving in to Levy's gentle prodding. Natsu, on the other hand, almost took a year of convincing before settling down. Even then, he would sometimes just stand up and walk out of the guild, staying out for days at a time until Lucy and Happy searched him out. And then there was what happened every July 7.

Instead of disappearing, he'd go to the guild early. He would sit at the bar and order drink after drink; he did not talk to anyone. Happy had tried, and eventually had given up. Lucy would take on a week-long mission a day before, and the rest of the guild members were either busy, or decided to leave him alone out of either understanding or fear.

That pattern had happened on first anniversary, and the second, and was in the process of repeating it for the third time, although with a bit of a delay in the date as Master Makatov had forced Natsu to participate in the X794 Grand Magical Games. Happy hadn't even tried talking to him this year, had simply rolled back to pretend to sleep while his friend and father figure went out the door to grieve. He knew Natsu would go to the Fairy Tail, where the guild was planning to throw a birthday party for Lucy, although he doubted Natsu remembered or even knew. For days around that particular day, Natsu would try to forget anything concerning his closest nakama, and would focus only on missions, getting drunk, and even more missions, or in this case fighting in the Games. He didn't talk to anyone with either, and would snarl at any guild member who would dare approach him.

Now Natsu was weaving his drunk way through town, unconscious of where he was going. He simply wanted to be left alone. The only reason he'd stayed that long at the guild was the presence of the scent that tended to overwhelm his senses, and when it had grown faint enough to prove that the owner wasn't there anymore, he'd gotten up to go. No one had tried to stop him, although a few had shot worried looks at his retreating back. Even in the midst of a party, Fairy Tail took notice of one of its strongest and most cheerful mages stumbling his way to the door, too drunk to realize that his scarf lay forgotten on the floor.

He stopped in front of a familiar stretch of river, midway through one of the many stone bridges of Magnolia. Through the haze of alcohol he acknowledged that his feet had led him to the one place he wanted to avoid at all costs, but at the same time the place that he normally treated as his home.

Lucy's place.

* * *

**A/N:**...I have no idea how to continue this. Well I do, vaguely... And this is why I hate starting something without a concrete plot, but the idea just came to me. Anyway, don't expect a continuation soon, although I'm planning on one.


	2. Hope

**DISCLAIMER: **Fairy Tail is not mine (it belongs to Hiro Mashima, okay? Okay.). Neither is the image I used for the cover (it's courtesy of Neilund over at deviantart. Clear? Fine.). I've made no money from this.

* * *

**Hope**

* * *

Lucy felt nervous. Very, very nervous. The feeling hadn't left her ever since Gray had approached her that morning and asked that she meet him the next night at the park.

_"Let's keep this between us, ne? I just wanna ask you about something really important."_

It wasn't like Gray to be so secretive. Sure, he was a private man, but not to the extent that he'd tug someone out of the guild just to ask for a meeting.

Now she couldn't sleep out of nervousness. She kept tossing and turning, her creative writer's mind busy thinking up various scenarios concerning what Gray would say.

_We've changed the future! We've somehow managed to avoid the disaster of 10,000 dragons, for Mavis' sake! A little talk with Gray should be easy-peasy._

Even as she convinced herself, she couldn't help but become even more nervous. She'd always had a crush on Gray, and the possibility that he would be confessing that he liked her back had her heart pounding to overdrive. There was still Juvia to consider, though...

Giving up on sleep, she rose to grab a glass of water. She wanted to counteract the hangover she knew she'd have in the morning from drinking too much alcohol. Unlike her guild mates she didn't normally drink too much, but they'd held the party for her birthday after all. Besides, she was twenty-two - about time, several extra years of being stuck as a teenager was quite enough, thank you very much - and therefore legally allowed to drink.

She went back to bed, still feeling dizzy but unable to get her thoughts to stop so she could sleep. Instead she stared up at the ceiling trying to come up with a way to avert the disaster she felt would come tomorrow night - well, technically in a few hours since midnight had passed a while ago.

She was startled out of her thoughts when the window beside her bed slid open. Before she could grab her keys the intruder had already fallen face-first on her lap, only his messy head of pink hair identifying him.

"Natsu! What are you doing here?" Lucy shouted. When she got no response she prodded him then turned him over. He just grunted.

He was drunk again, she realized as the strong scent of alcohol hit her nose. Not just drunk, but _passed out_ and drunk at her bed at _four in the morning_. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him in this state, and she thought it wouldn't be the last. She had a suspicion as to the cause of his yearly binge, and felt she understood completely. Everyone had been heavily affected by the events of the Day of the Seven Dragons, but at the same time everyone was trying to cope. Natsu seemed to be the only one couldn't let go even a little.

She looked at him again, sadness in her eyes. She didn't like seeing him like this. Natsu was supposed to be strong, always there, _undefeatable_. But he was letting this sadness defeat him and little by little she could see her best friend fading away, and she couldn't stand to watch him be replaced by a stranger.

She decided to face him now, starting with getting water into him to avoid a hangover and the consequent bad temper. She went back to the kitchen to refill the glass she'd already drained. When she got back he was sprawled on his back, occupying most of the bed. He was snoring, his mouth open and a thin line of drool leaking out. She giggled. He looked so cute like that, not to mention his open vest showed off his spectacular abs...

Lucy shook her head, blushing. The alcohol must have affected her more than she thought. This was _Natsu_ for crying out loud! Her best friend! Although she had to admit, for a while after they'd first met, she had thought that he was the prince her mother had always told her she would find. After a while though, she realized that he was just too dense, and had given up.

Now she realized that her feelings had only been locked up, not dead and buried. With the help of the alcohol they burst out of their confinement.

She remembered all the times he'd saved her, starting from Bora when they hadn't even really known each other, up to the fight with Grimoire Heart's Kain, and even risking his life to save her from a dragon after the Games. She remembered how he was always there to comfort her and lend her his strength when she felt her weakest, how he would dry her tears whenever she cried. She remembered laughing with him, fighting with him, training with him.

_I'm in love with a pink-haired idiot_, she realized, shaken. After all, who would want to be in love with an immature, destructive, competitive dragon slayer who was always looking for a fight? One who was reckless, and childish, and stupid...

...and caring, sweet, and kind...

_Oh well, too late to back out now._

"Lucy?"

She looked up from the glass of water she'd been unconsciously staring into, to the narrowed blurry eyes of Natsu Dragneel.

Natsu slowly came back to the world of the living, confused as hell and wondering where he was. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem, but the alcohol dulled his senses. All he could tell was he was in someone's bed, so probably in someone's house. But which of his guild mates had he bothered?

After a few seconds he heard someone enter from another room. He knew immediately who it was partially by the smell and the rhythm of the footsteps, but mostly he just _knew _because his skin prickled and his heart beat a little faster.

_Lucy._

Still, impaired as he was, he had to make sure. He opened his eyes, but that didn't work since the light all but blinded him. He was reluctant to try again, but tried opening them slowly and only a little before he called her name.

He saw her - or more accurately, her blurry image - raise her head quickly from staring into something cupped in her hands. He wondered what it was, but that flew out of his mind pretty quickly when she exclaimed, "Natsu! Good, you're awake. Here, drink - "

He held up his hand, flinching. "Too loud. Hurts my ears." He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw her smirk a little. Still, her voice was softer when she spoke again.

"Drink this," she ordered. She handed him the item in her hand - a glass of water, apparently - before explaining, "That might help with the hangover."

He downed half the glass in one gulp, grimacing at the taste it left... But that was probably the beer. "Are you sure this isn't poison?"

She laughed lightly, and the sound soothed his tight nerves a little. "No, of course not. Why would I poison you?"

"Out of all the people in the guild, you're probably the one with the most reason and the biggest right to do it."

She was about to laugh when she saw that he was being perfectly serious. Her heart skipped a beat as she reached out to touch his face. "Natsu..."

He jerked away from her touch as if scalded - or more appropriately with him, as if frozen - jumping from the bed to the window in a single leap. He avoided looking at her, choosing instead to take interest in her apartment's decor. His whole body was tense and she could see his eyes clouded with guilt and self-loathing, emotions Lucy found disturbing to see on the usually cheerful man.

She saw him turn away from her, ready to leap out of the window. She knew that if she let him go now she would likely not see him for days, maybe weeks, something that she didn't want to happen. Acting quickly she flung herself towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso and pretending not to feel him tense up at the action.

She stayed like that for a while, quietly clinging to him and thinking of what to say. She didn't detect the slightest loosening of muscles from him; if anything he seemed to tense up a little more with each second that passed. Eventually he spoke up, calling her name softly and questioningly.

"Yeah?" She responded absently, still thinking.

"I need to go."

She tightened her hold on him further, and she swore that he stopped breathing.

"Don't," she mumbled to his back.

"I have to Luce, please," he said desperately.

"Please don't leave me alone."

The quiet tone she used had him feeling torn in two. He needed to get away from her, to not further burden her with his useless presence, but at the same time he wanted to stay by her side always, guarding her from the world. In the end guilt won, and he turned around in her arms. He pushed her away with gentle hands on her shoulders, intending to tell her that he absolutely can't stay, but he made the mistake of looking into her eyes.

They were big, brown, and pleading and he felt his resolve quickly crumble under their scrutiny. He let out a frustrated breath and ran a hand roughly through his hair, promising himself that he would stay away from her after this.

"Guess I can hang around for a while, if that's what you want," he finally muttered.

Her smile was so bright he felt blinded. "It is; it absolutely is! Thanks, Natsu."

She just sat there beaming at him so he took it upon himself to get them into a more comfortable position. He set her down beside him on the bed, finding it hard to believe that she would let him anywhere near her after all the times he'd failed to keep her from harm. Still, she seemed content to just lean against him, and he basked in the opportunity to stay close to her.

"Ne, Natsu," his companion asked after several minutes of silence.

"Yeah, Luce?"

"Let's go away for a while." He looked down at her, confused, but she didn't meet his gaze. Sensing his confusion despite this, she added, "I just feel like it's been a while since we really relaxed, you know? The last time I remember totally relaxing was during our first Games, at Ryuuzetsu. Please, can we go? Somewhere away from Magnolia, out of Fiore if possible. Just the two of us, like when you first took me to Fairy Tail." Struck by inspiration, she turned to him. "It'll be like your birthday present to me!"

Did she really expect him to be able to say no to those eyes? Still… "I'd love to go Luce, but I'm kinda short on funds just now, and since you haven't taken any missions from just before the Games, I don't think you have any money to spend either," he reminded her. He'd been aware that she and Erza had gone on a week-long training camp just before this year's Games, and had that she hadn't taken any big jobs before that.

"We could go on a mission," the blonde mage persisted. "Or maybe we could even do several missions and build up on cash, so we don't have to worry about money. Please, Natsu, I really want to go. I miss going on missions with you," she added softly. They hadn't done any job requests together in years, since before their first Games. At first they'd both been too busy helping to rebuild the aftermath of the war, and after that Natsu had started avoiding her, to the point that he took S-Class missions alone right after passing the exam.

Seeing the sadness in her expression, he felt guilty for avoiding her. He'd thought that he was doing her a favor by staying out of her way, but it was obvious now even to him that he'd only managed to upset her. Determined to make up for it, he made an effort to find some of his old cheer and exclaimed, "Yoshi! We'll take a mission as soon as the guild opens later!"

The celestial mage giggled at the display, asking, "Do you have a request in mind?"

"I don't care, as long as we get to kick some asses!"

Lucy laughed outright at the response, glad to see that at least some part of the Natsu she'd known was coming back. Not all the way back yet, and just a little forced, but they would work on that. "Alright then, you get to choose later. For now, let's get a couple hours of sleep, ne?"

Natsu nodded and turned towards the window. Lucy saw this and grabbed the back of his vest intending to tell him to stay the night, but noticed for the first time that he was missing his scarf. He looked back at her to see a confused expression. "Natsu, where's your scarf?"

The dragon slayer's eyes widened as he grabbed at his bare collar. "Oh shit! I must have dropped it somewhere! I have to go look for it; see ya later, Luce!" With that last hurried statement, he dropped out of her window into the streets just as the sun broke through the horizon.

She sighed softly. "See you later, Natsu."

* * *

**A/N: **Please excuse any typos and/or grammatical errors. I did this entirely on my phone. Critics, comments, feedbacks will be highly appreciated :) Also, go visit my profile for ways to stalk me if you wanna :D


	3. Prelude

**DISCLAIMER: **Fairy Tail is not mine (it belongs to Hiro Mashima, okay? Okay.). Neither is the image I used for the cover (it's courtesy of Neilund over at deviantart. Clear? Fine.). I've made no money from this.

* * *

**Prelude**

* * *

A couple of hours later, the prestigious building that towered over the town of Magnolia shook with a certain dragon slayer's angry shout.

"Gray, you droopy-eyed bastard! What the hell did you do to my scarf?!"

Several people with hangover groaned at the loud voice, their heads punishing them for last night's indulgence. Cana had a stronger constitution than most of them, however, and smirked at Natsu over the rim of her early morning barrel of beer.

"Oi Natsu, finally back eh?" Though the brunette's words were sarcastic, she felt relieved to see a spark of the old Natsu again, not the hollow imitation that had been with them for the last few years.

The pink-haired man scowled at her. "I was here just last night." When the woman just scoffed, he decided to ignore her words and asked instead, "Where's Stripper by the way? That damn bastard's gone and put my scarf in ice!"

Cans smirked again as she watched her guild mate melt the poop-shaped ice sculpture that entrapped his scarf. "He left as soon as he did that last night. He should be here early today though; he said he wanted to see your reaction."

"Oh I'm gonna show him alright," Natsu threatened as he wrapped the newly-released scarf around his neck. He shivered at the its cool temperature and fired up his whole body to warm up just as the resident Static Ice Make Mage entered the hall.

Immediately Gray smirked at the sight of his half-melted work and the irate Fire Dragon Slayer. "Flame-brain, I see you finally found your scarf."

Natsu's forehead locked with his rival's as they engaged in a glaring contest. "You bastard, you stole my scarf when I was drunk last night, didn't you?!"

"I didn't have to steal anything you idiot; you were too drunk to realize when you dropped it!"

"I'd never be drunk enough to lose the scarf Igneel gave me!"

Gray decided to cut to the chase. "You were out of it enough in the last three years not to notice how miserable you were making Lucy by staying away from her!"

The whole guild quieted at Gray's last statement, half afraid of Natsu's reaction and half relieved that somebody had finally said what everyone had wanted to say. The fire user for his part slowly turned pale, and the whole guild stared in amazement as he backed away from his greatest rival.

"I... I..."

"You _what_, Natsu?" Gray sneered at his teammate. "Can't find a comeback, can you?" His hands clenched and unclenched unconsciously at his sides, and icy particles started to form in the air around him.

"I didn't think she'd want me near her," Natsu half-whispered.

"You didn't think she'd _- _" Gray cut himself off, frustrated. "Seriously, Natsu?" His voice rise with each word, his usual calm gone. "I know you're a dense retard, but to think that your friend, your teammate, your _partner_, for the gods' sake, wouldn't need your support after what she went through?"

"You don't understand. It was my fault she went through those things in the first place."

"How the hell could it have been your fault? You weren't the one to open the gates, or summon the dragons. You weren't even there to see them open!"

"Exactly! I wasn't there. I wasn't there because I was busy fighting future Rogue, who had just killed Lucy right in front of me!"

Natsu clenched his teeth as the whole guild froze, as if Gray had released his ice and made sculptures out of them. Few people knew of what had happened at that time, and hearing about it now was confusing, as well as a shock.

"The least you could've done was stay beside her after that! Then she wouldn't have felt so damn useless and - "

"That's enough, Gray. I believe Natsu has realized his mistakes, haven't you, Natsu?" Master Makarov addressed him from his usual perch on the bar top. His normally cheerful face was serious, and the look he leveled at Natsu made the younger man feel even smaller than he already felt.

"I... I'm trying to make it up to her. I'll try to make up the last few years to you guys too," he said as he looked around, "but I have to make it up to her first. She comes first now, no matter what."

"She should've come first from the very beginning," Gray began, still mad.

"Gray. That's enough," Erza commanded. "Everybody makes mistakes, and Natsu is already trying to make up for his." When the Ice Mage still looked ready to fight, she softened her tone, mindful if Natsu's sensitive hearing. "I know how you feel about her, but I think we both knew from the very beginning how this was going to turn out."

The dark-haired man stayed silent for a moment, his eyes taking on a far-away look. "I just don't wanna see them hurt. Her most of all, and if that retard's hurt, then she is, too. So I don't want either of them hurt."

The Titania smiled at him. "You don't have to hide how you care for him too, you know. You're teammates after all. It's normal to care for each other."

He scoffed. "Like anybody would care for a hothead like him? I don't even know what Lucy sees in him."

They both turned as the guild doors opened once again, this time to admit a blonde Stellar Spirit Mage and a flying blue Exceed. The whole guild watched as the Fire Dragon Slayer rushed to the request board then ran to her, a big grin on his face and babbling about the job flyer in his hand. She glanced at it, eyes widening and shouting at her partner. He just laughed and grabbed her by the wrist, towing her - protesting all the way - out of the guild. Happy flew after them after throwing a relieved if somewhat bewildered glance back at the guild.

"Sometimes you don't need a clear-cut reason to love someone. Some things just are."

A few weeks later, Lucy sat at the bar with the other women. Cana sat beside her, guzzling her third barrel of the afternoon, occasionally shouting at the brawlers while Evergreen berated Elfman. Laxus also sat with them, having opted out of the fight. Mirajane chatted with Erza and Lucy since most of the rest of the guild had joined in the ongoing brawl.

"...and I just don't understand how he could've mistaken our client for the criminal," Lissana grumbled. She shot a look at Bixlow, who was making his babies hit anyone within the fight. He caught her glare and grinned back at her, tongue lolling. She promptly turned her back to him, huffing when she heard his distinctive laugh.

"Well, you know how Bixlow-san can be sometimes," Wendy said soothingly.

"Why was he with you anyway?" Cana took a break from her beer to ask. Evergreen answered her with a small smirk.

"Ara, didn't you know? Bixlow hasn't joined the Raijinshuu in taking missions for several weeks now. He's been busy sniffing around little Miss Take-Over here."

"Oooh is that true, Lissana? Bixlow's been following you around huh? Are you dating yet? What about Natsu?" Cana nudged the younger mage, but only got silence and a blush in return. She laughed loudly and turned back to Evergreen. "Wanna bet that they'll end up dating before week's end?"

The Fairy thought it over before saying with a shrug, "I give it till next week before she agrees. Bixlow isn't exactly charming."

"You'd both lose." Both women and Wendy turned to the eldest Strauss sibling, who had paused from her conversation to listen in.

"You know something, Mira?" Cana asked.

"Of course she knows something. They're sisters," Evergreen said with a roll of her eyes. She turned back to the barmaid. "So? What do you know?"

"Well, Lissana has been late coming home a few times now. And I noticed that she's been taking harder and harder missions, ones she wouldn't normally take unless she has someone more used to combat with her." She smiled benevolently at her sister, who pouted back. "They're already on their third date."

The last statement was so out of the blue and surprising that it had her three listeners blinking in shock before Evergreen and Cana turned back to interrogate the younger mage, Wendy offering her sympathetic glances. Revenge accomplished, Mira waved a small goodbye before turning back to Lucy and Erza.

"Isn't that just a little bit cruel, Mira?" Lucy asked.

"What are you talking about, Lucy?" Mirajane returned innocently. Inside she was patting herself on the back for a perfectly executed punishment. Lissana really shouldn't have followed her and Laxus on their date.

_She's too good at this_, Lucy thought, shuddering in apprehension. "Never mind," she said instead. "You were about to tell us about Levy's mission."

"Ah, yes." Mira Jane's smile turned to a worried frown. "I'm not sure why Master let her take that mission with just Jet and Droy. Not to underestimate their capabilities, but..."

"How hard is the mission?" Erza asked.

"It's a fairly simple one. Chase out the bandits that have been plaguing the town, and if possible recover the stolen goods."

Lucy felt surprise. Mira wasn't usually such a worrywart, and for the silver-haired woman to act like now, there had to be a reason. She decided to ask.

"Well, lately there had been a rash of attacks on mages taking missions in that part of the country. Most had been found dead, drained of their last drop of magical power," Mirajane answered.

"Well you could just stop worrying now, since she's here already," Laxus commented.

Lucy, Erza and Mirajane turned to watch Levy approach, and the blonde mage jumped up from her perch to greet her friend. "Levy-chan! How did your mission go?"

"We finished it, Lu-chan. I'll tell you about it later," Levy answered with a strained smile. "Right now we need Wendy's help."

The teenager approached the older mage immediately, asking, "Are you injured anywhere, Levy-san?"

"No, but Dealina is." She gestured behind her to Jet and Droy, both injured and carrying a battered woman between them. Wendy stepped forward with her hands already glowing even as the women gasped.

"What happened to her, Levy-chan?" Mirajane's voice managed to be hard and concerned at once as she took in the sight before her.

"We found her being attacked by a group of bandits just outside Magnolia." The usually laid back mage looked furious, as did her two teammates. "There were five of them not including the six that were already down, and they were all using swords and magic against one civilian."

The mage spoke up then, voice cracked and raspy. "Not... Not a civilian. Mage. Freelance" Already she looked a little better thanks to Wendy, but she still needed support to stand.

Jet frowned down at her. "If you have magic, then why didn't you use it? Did you run out?"

She shook her head, saying only, "I don't like using magic."

Lucy found the statement strange but didn't get the chance to ask as Erza commented incredulously, "You mean you defeated six mages using no magic?"

The girl looked uncomfortable with such a question and was obviously greatly relieved as Wendy chose that moment to announce that she was done. The blue-haired teen motioned for Jet and Droy to sit down, but they still needed to support the other mage. Seeing their problem, Lucy decided to speak up.

"Natsu! Come over here and help Jet and Droy!"

The pink-haired man jumped out of the fight and headed over to his partner. "You're really mean Lucy, making me go out of the fight when I was just about to defeat Ice Princess!"

"What was that Flame-head?!" Gray's enraged shout was cut off by a flying table to his head. Natsu stuck his tongue out childishly at his rival before following Lucy's order and taking the injured mage from Jet and Droy.

"Um... Shouldn't someone stop them?" Natsu was asked by his new charge.

He blinked at her, bewildered. "Eh? But why?"

Lucy smiled a little at the answer, knowing that he was honestly confused and remembering her own initial impression of the guild. "Don't worry about them. That's just the way they show their affection." The girl still looked bewildered, but said nothing as Mira was already calling for them to bring her in to the infirmary.

Three days later, their patient had healed enough to be allowed to venture into the guild hall periodically. More often than not though, her initial acquaintances went up to visit her, as they did now.

"Are you sure there's nobody we can contact for you?" Mirajane asked.

Dealina shook her head. "There's only one person, and he's hard to get a hold of." She glanced discretely at the pouch resting on the bedside table.

Lucy noticed it. "Do you have any way to contact him at all?"

"Well..." The brown-eyed teen hesitated, looking torn. "He did give me a communication lacrima just before we got separated, but it needs magic to operate."

"That shouldn't be a problem then," Mirajane replied cheerfully. "You're in a mage guild, after all."

"But it needs a specific type of magic to make it work," Dealina explained.

The silver-haired woman blinked at that. Magic-specific lacrimas were rare and expensive. Then she smiled, dismissing it. "Well I'm sure there's someone here who uses the kind of magic you need. We do have a lot of mages here with many types of magic."

The girl on the bed looked skeptical. "But you probably don't have someone who can create water, as opposed to just manipulating it."

Mirajane's smile widened. "As a matter of fact we do, and I'm sure she'll be happy to help you." She turned to Lucy. "Lucy, would you mind keeping Dealina company while I get Juvia?"

"Not at all. We'll wait for you."

When the older woman had gone out of the room, Lucy turned to the bed's occupant. The girl's chocolate brown eyes regarded her guardedly. Her hair - blonde with pink bangs- was loose and fell to just under her chin, with the bangs nearly hiding her eyes. Luckily, as her clothes had been torn beyond salvation, she was almost the same size as Lucy, so the borrowed pajamas fit her perfectly.

The silence between them grew uncomfortable. Just as Lucy felt compelled to break it, there was a loud crash from downstairs followed by several raised voices.

"What's that?" Dealina asked worriedly.

"Probably just another brawl. I have to check it out though. Don't worry; I'll leave Loke with you." She pulled out his key. "Open, Gate of the Lion! Loke!"

The man with a wild mane of orange hair appeared, accompanied by the sound of gates opening. "Lucy, my princess! What do you need your faithful knight for?"

"Loke, please stay with Dealina while I check something downstairs, okay?" She ran out, closing the door to the sound of his flirtatious greeting of Dealina.

* * *

**A/N:** Ummm... Hi! How long has it been? I'm so sorry if the wait was too long, but I had to prepare for some major exams that blew my brains out (I'm starting to think I'm crazy for choosing zoology as my major). Anyway, chapter IV is already in the works so unless something really urgent happens to me (accident, kidnapping, natural disasters or another killer exam) it should be out in... Say, two weeks. Maybe.

Also, you've now met one of my four major OC's. Dealina and the scene of her arrival might be familiar to some of you; it's actually a scene out of my one-shot, "I Love My Guild!" And if you're wondering about the chapter title, let me explain: I titled this "Prelude" because it is the prelude to the real story... I might change the summary displayed after a few chapters. You see, this story is not just an angst-y romance. There's also a dash of adventure. The four OC's have a big part in the main plot. I hope the sudden change does not discourage those who are following this simply for the romance.


	4. Change, Revelation

**DISCLAIMER: **Fairy Tail is not mine (it belongs to Hiro Mashima, okay? Okay.). Neither is the image I used for the cover (it's courtesy of Neilund over at deviantart. Clear? Fine.). I've made no money from this.

* * *

**Change, Revelation**

* * *

Lucy took the stairs two at a time, wanting to see what the commotion was about. The sight that greeted her made her eyes bulge.

Three people stood in the middle of the hall, two half naked, one partly encased in ice, and the third looking absolutely speechless. Blue and green ice littered the area around them, making it look like they were surrounded by sparkling gems. Other guild members stood in a loose circle, some watching in awe (mostly the new ones) and some smirking, while a handful just looked bored. The rest were taking bets and shouting encouragements and insults.

At the centre of the circle, Lyon was locked in blue ice, only part of his upper torso and head free. Despite this he stood alert, facing Gray with his hands ready to perform the correct sequence of movements for his Ice Magic. The younger mage for his part stood facing his _se__n__pai_, crouched in front of the wide-eyed Juvia and also ready to use his magic.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Lyon? It's not like you to kiss an unwilling woman!"

"Will you at least let me explain, before you attack me again?"

"What the hell else is there to explain? I saw you grab her and kiss her, and she didn't look happy about it."

Juvia looked ready to speak up but Lyon shouted back at Gray, "Why would you care if I kissed her or not anyway? Last time I checked, she wasn't your girlfriend!"

"She's still my guild mate, and we look out for each other. That includes taking care of pesky stalkers like you," Gray sneered.

"For all you know, Gray, Juvia might be my girlfriend now, and maybe we just got into a little argument and that's why she wasn't too happy to be kissed," Lyon tossed back.

Gray looked stunned. Behind him, Juvia touched his shoulder, asking for attention. He turned to her, still keeping Lyon in his line of sight.

"G-gray-sama, please don't fight with Lyon-sama anymore. Juvia... She asked him to kiss her!" The last part was blurted out in a rush, and it took Gray a moment to process the words.

"You... _asked _him to _kiss _you?" Disbelief dripped from each word.

"Um... Yes." For a moment the Water Mage looked hesitant, but she straightened her shoulders and looked at the Static Ice Mage in the eye. "Gray-sama, Juvia hasn't made a secret of loving you. Since she met you, Juvia has been faithful, loving only Gray-sama. But now... Now, Juvia has realized that she can't spend her life waiting for someone who doesn't love her back. Juvia still loves Gray-sama, but she has to move on."

Gray could only gape in shock as the blue-haired woman walked past him and went to Lyon, melting his ice using steaming water. He was in such a state of shock that his normally heat resistant ice - crafted after a frustrating loss against Natsu where the fire user had escaped his final blow by melting his Ice Chain - easily gave under her skillful manipulation. They walked out of the guild together, hand-in-hand.

When Juvia returned inside the guild a few minutes later, she was alone. Gray sat at the bar, scowling into a drink while Erza cast pitying glances his way. Habit almost made her walk up to him, but she forced herself to change directions. Instead she glanced around the guild, and headed towards Mirajane and Lucy when the other mages gestured to her.

"Juvia, would you mind heading upstairs with us for a moment? Dealina needs your help," Lucy expained.

"Of course."

Mirajane excused herself as her break was already up. The two mages headed up together.

"… I'll go check. Tell Lucy that I won't be available for a few days."

They entered the infirmary in time to see The Lion disappear with a small flash of light.

Lucy scowled at the space he'd vacated. "I give him too much leeway. He shouldn't have left you alone like that," she told Dealina, more exasperated than anything else. Loke was as reliable as they came in times of need.

The younger mage smiled a little. "Loke's always been a free Spirit, even when under a contract. It's partly because he's The Lion, the most powerful Spirit, the Leader of the Zodiacs, and partly because it's just his nature."

"Oh? You know him that well?" Lucy asked.

"Oh – Um… That's – Well, that is to say… I've heard of his reputation, of course. From other Celestial Mages." The girl looked incredibly awkward, and her eyes looked at everything except Lucy. They spotted Juvia, who stepped forward and smiled.

"Hello. Juvia pleased to meet you, Dealina-san. She's heard a lot about you."

Unlike most people who met Juvia for the first time, Dealina showed no sign of being surprised at hearing a grown woman speaking in the third person. "I've heard a lot about you as well, Juvia-san."

"Oh? But Juvia is not as well-known as some of the other Mages from Fairy Tail," the Water Mage said.

"Maybe not, but you're still strong in your own right. And you were a member of the Element Four before joining this guild, right?"

"Well yes, but… We did not really have a good reputation back then."

"It's not what you did in the past that matters, but what you're doing with your present," Dealina said. Her eyes looked so sad that Lucy moved to sit beside her and hugged her. When the girl looked at her, she smiled encouragingly and tightened her arms.

"What we're gonna do for now is get that communication lacrima of yours to work. Where is it?"

"I told you to wait for me in town!"

Lucy watched as Dealina flinched from the reprimand, which had come from a blue-haired man being projected by the communications lacrima. The moment the man had answered the call - which had been about five minutes ago by Lucy's estimation – the he had started shouting. Juvia had decided to leave then, leaving Lucy to stay or go. She had been about to leave when the girl on the bed had shot her a pleading look. She'd stayed, understanding the other woman's desire for support while getting scolded.

"You stubborn little - " The man cut himself off, trying to regain his composure even though it was obvious that he was still pissed. "Where the hell are you anyway?" He snarled when all he got was a silent look from Dealina. "Why aren't you answering me?!"

Lucy had had enough. She moved into the range of the communications lacrima. "You _did_ tell her to 'keep it shut'."

Red eyes registered surprise before they narrowed. "Who the hell are you?" the man on the other end of the call demanded.

"Lucy of Fairy Tail. And you are?"

"Sage, Sage Ferrios. Freelance mage, partner of that stubborn woman you helped out. Thanks for that, by the way."

"It was a friend of mine who actually helped her out, but you're welcome anyway." Lucy glanced at Dealina, who kept her teary eyes glued to her lap. "Now, I think it's time you apologize for shouting at you friend." She smiled as the younger woman glanced at her with gratitude, and then moved out of range of the lacrima again.

She heard Sage sigh. "Dee, sorry for shouting at you. I was just really worried. I left you thinking that you were perfectly safe then came back to a trashed camp and no sign of you. I've been driving myself crazy these past few days trying to find you. Speak up, Dee," he coaxed when he got no response.

She answered in a soft voice. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but those guys came out of nowhere. I thought we'd taken care of all of them so I wasn't prepared to face them. And afterwards, I had no way of contacting you - "

"You did, Dee."

"You know I can't use the lacrima on my own, Sage."

"You can," the man countered. "You just refuse to. You can't spend the rest of your life denying your magic, Dee." He sighed when silence met him once again. "How did you power up the lacrima anyway?"

"Juvia, a mage from the guild I'm staying at, helped me."

"I see. Well anyways, I should be arriving there in a couple of weeks at most. I'm in Bosco right now," he explained.

"Alright. I'll stay around Magnolia. See you in a couple of weeks," Dealina said.

"Yeah, see you. Take care of yourself," Sage replied before he signed off.

"Well, that went a lot smoother than expected," Dealina muttered.

"If that was smooth, I'd hate to see rough." Lucy sat on the edge of the bed. "Dealina, is it okay if I ask you a question? I don't mean to pry or anything, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but it's been bothering me for a while," she added quickly.

"What is it, Lucy-san?"

"Well… When you first came here, you mentioned that you fought those bandits you didn't use magic and not because you ran out, but because you didn't want to. And just now, your friend mentioned that you're refusing to use your magic. I was wondering why?"

"I..."

Dealina looked uncomfortable that Lucy immediately regretted asking. "Forget I asked. It's none of my business anyway." A hand touched her arm before she could rise.

"It's alright. It's natural to be curious as to why a mage denies her magic, I guess." Dark eyes took on a faraway look. Lucy remained silent, waiting for the other woman to speak.

"When I was young," she began, "my parents were influential people. My mother was a priestess, and my father was the... I guess you could say leader. He made all the major decisions for our people, and took care of any negotiations with our neighbours. We were happy, and I grew up with the children of the townspeople and the neighbouring groups. But one day...

"The leader of one of the neighbouring groups, my mother's brother, decided that he was tired of playing nice. He decided to take over the groups, one by one. He started with us, who he considered weakest because my father tended to look for diplomatic solutions. That was his mistake, because even if my father is a happy-go-lucky most of the time, he would protect his group at all costs.

"I was at another group, studying, when the attack was launched. The leader I was with heard about it, and decided to fight with my father. When we arrived, father and mother were engaged in a fight with mother's brother. Father was already badly injured, and mother was trying to help him. She turned her back on the other, and... and..." Tears started falling from her eyes unheeded. Lucy moved closer, wrapped her arms around the crying woman. "He attacked them. Mother had her back to him, shielding father. She took on the attack full-force. It killed her instantly.

"At that point I just... I lost it. I told you earlier - I think - that I was with the other leader, studying. You see, we don't inherit our magic, at least our main magic. It's determined by birth. My magic was the same as the other leader's, so I was often over to study. At that time I was studying a very powerful spell. I didn't think, I just used it.

"I ended up performing it perfectly. The problem was with controlling. You see, that kind of magic involved a bit of Transformation, and the instinct of my transformed form was... Difficult to control. It's basically an animal that acts as it pleases, or on its instincts. At that time I was blind with grief for my mother, and wanted nothing more than to avenge her. Unfortunately, my father had also succumbed to his Transformation. He attacked my mother's brother just as my attack was about to hit my uncle. It ended up killing them both.

"I don't remember much after that. There are only small flashes. Blood, screaming, pain. When I regained control, everyone around me was badly injured. They had been trying to restrain me, you see, but having little magical capabilities, they all failed. Sage had been the only one around with any chance of restraining me, and he did it, but he sustained many injuries because of it. I often wonder how he got through that without hating me.

"Do you see? Magic has brought me nothing but pain and loss. Could you really blame me for hating it?"

Lucy was silent for s while, processing what she'd just heard. Life had certainly been harsh for the young woman in front of her, but then again life had been harsh for every member of Fairy Tail at one point or another. You just had to cope with it.

"You know," Lucy began, "there was a point in my life where I hated magic, too. I lost a friend because of magic, but I realized... if it wasn't for magic, I wouldn't have met my family; Fairy Tail wouldn't even exist. I wouldn't have my precious memories, and I wouldn't have met Eclaire at all. Magic has taken some important things from me, but it's also given me everything that's important to me. That's why I'm sure, no matter what, your magic would make you happy someday," Lucy finished, smiling widely.

Dealina stared at the beaming face of the blonde mage. For some reason, she felt like she had just regained something precious.

* * *

**A/N: **Well... I promised to post this ages ago but circumstances got the best of me. Sumimasen *bows deep* But I hope you like this chapter, and Dealina... And my second OC, Sage :) Also, what do you think of my little Gray-Juvia-Lyon scene? Mehehehe. I tell you, I'm a hardcore Gruvia shipper, so you can just imagine what I'm going to do with this development (which wasn't originally in the plot, but it sort of wrote itself out LOL).


End file.
